Fuse-panel box



, Oct.1.,1929.

. O. 5. JENNINGS ms: PANEL 501:

Filed Oct. 29 0 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .OXiV MSeTE/Ymn S ATTORNEY 1929. o. SQJENNINGS ,7 ,8

FUSE'PANEL Box Filed Oct. 29 1920 2 Sheets-Shah; 2

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L 17 1.9 19 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 1, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OLIVER S. JENNINGS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELEC- TRIO & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA FUSE-PANEL BOX Application filed October 29, 1920. Serial No. 420,392.

My invention relates to fuse panel-boards or boxes and particularly to panel-boards of the safety type used in distributing current to a number of separate circuits from the main supply circuit.

An object of my invention is to provide a panel-board or box, for use with either a two or a three-wire system, that shall be relatively compact and shall occupy no more space than is usually required for a Well designed two-wire panel-board.

Another object is to provide a panel-board having the above characteristics wherein the detachable fuse elements only are accessible through the front opening in the housing.

Another object is to provide a fuse panelboard wherein a perforate cover for the panel-board prevents access to the otherwise exposed terminal elements of the panel and permits access to the fuse elements only through the perforations provided in the cover for that purpose.

Another object is to provide a simple, readily constructed housing for the panel in which the leads may be readily connected to the various receptacles and wherein the terminals may all be rendered inaccessible by means of a simple cover insertedwithin the opening in the housing, which exposes only the removable fuse members.

A further object is to provide a' simple, compact and inexpensive means for connecting the busbars to the various receptacles.

These and other objects, which will be made apparent throughout the further description of the invention, are attained by means of the apparatus herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved panel-board or box showing the housing cover removed and the panel cover in operative position, a portion of the latter being cut away.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the box, with the housing cover in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the box, taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the panel, taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 1-

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the relation of two pairs of fuse receptacles with the bus-bars and the load.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a housing comprising a bottom 6 and metal side and end walls 7 and 8, respectively, that are provided with a laterally extending flange 9 to which a removable cover 10 is attached by means of screws 11. The cover 10 is provided with an opening 12 that is closed by a movable cover or door 13 which is pivotally hinged to the cover by means of hinge members 14. The cover 13 is normally retained in closed position by means of a latch member 15.

A fuse panel A, illustrated in section in Fig. 3, is mounted within the housing, directly opposite the opening 12 in the cover thereof, and includes an insulating base member 16 upon which are mounted the main conductors or feed-busbars l7 and 18 which extend longitudinally of the base, and a third or neutral busbar 19 which extends substantially parallel to the main bus-bars and is located midway between them. The bus-bars 17 and 18 are covered with insulating material 20 of channel shape and support the outer ends of the cross bars 21 that are conductively connected to the bus-bar 19.

As shown, the panel includes six pairs of fuse receptacles B, each pair including a receptable b and 6 Each receptacle includes an insulating casing 22 in which a threaded metallic socket 23 is mounted. This socket is conductively connected to a. metallic conductor strip 24 that projects exteriorly of the casing, through the opening 25 in the bottom thereof, and is attached to a terminal binding-post or screw 26.

The conductor strip 24 is secured within the casing 22 by means of a screw 27 that. is insulated therefrom by an insulating washer 28 and projects through a hole 29 in the striu and a similar hole in the bottom of the socket 23. The hole 29 is of such diameter that the screw cannot engage the strip or socket and is, therefore, insulated therefrom.

As shown in Fig. 3, the screws 27 of the socket b are threaded into the cross-bars 21 and, consequently, are connected to the central bus-bar 19, the circuit therethrough being, through the binding post 26, the conductor strip 24, a threaded socket 23, the threaded fuse plug 30, the screw 27 and the crossbar 21, to the bus-bar 19.

As shown in Fig. 4, the receptacles b which are identical with the receptacles I),

are connected to the bus-bars 17 and 18, de pending upon which bar they are mounted, by means of the screws 27, which, in this case, are slightly longer than those in the receptacles Z) and are screwed into the bus-bars 17 and 18.

Referring to the diagram illustrated in Fig. 5, it will be seen that current from .the bus-bars 17 and 18 flows, through the fuse receptacles b the load G and the fuse receptacles b, to the central bus-bar 19.

The terminal wires 31 enter the housing through openings 32 and are secured to the binding posts 26 which are located adjacent to the edge of the insulating panel member 16. The entire fuse panel and the terminals connected thereto are accessible through the front of the housing when the cover 10 is removed and, therefore, the panel is assembled and the terminals are attached thereto before the cover 10 is secured to the housing. The cover 10 is provided with an inwardly directed flange member 33 which extends from a point adjacent the edges of the openings 12 in the cover, toward the insulating panel, and which terminates a short distance from the panel, allowing sufficient space between the flange and the panel to clear the terminals attached to the binding posts. The flange 33 substantially surrounds the panel-board and separates the housing into a terminal chamber 34 and wiring gutters 35 and 36 on opposite sides of the panel compartment for containing the terminals 31.

An insulating cover 37, which preferably consists of a channel member of molded micarta, is fitted within the opening 12 and between opposite walls of the flange 33 and is provided with a marginal flange 38 which engages the flange 33 and the outer face of the panel member 16. The inner edge of the flange 33 is provided with slots 33 adjacent to each binding post so that the flange may slip over the terminals 31 and substantially close the space between the panel compartment 34 and the terminal compartments 35 and 36.

The cover 37 is provided with perforations 39 that are registered with the fuse receptacles which will permit the cover to be slipped over the outer extremity thereof so as to expose that portion of the receptacle and the fuse member 30. The flange 38 of the cover 37 supports the cover in the position shown in Fig. 3, whereby access to exposed parts of the panel and to the terminals is precluded.

The fuse members 30 are visible and read ily accessible when the cover 13 is opened.

Access to the bus-bars and binding posts may be had by withdrawing the cover 37 The construction is compact and simple, and is neat in appearance and afltords no opportunity for the operator to touch live parts of the panel, so long as the panel cover 37 is in its operative position.

WVhile I have described and illustrated but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without departing from the spirit and-scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a fuse-panel having fuse members thereon and a housing for containing the panel having an opening therein through which the panel is accessible, a flange adjacent the opening extending inwardly toward the panel and terminating in spaced relation thereto, of a cover fitting within the opening and provided with perforations through which the fuse members of the panel are accessible, the said cover having depending flanges engaging the front face of the said panel and closing the said space for preventing access to other parts of the said panel.

2. The combination with a fuse-panel having fuse members thereon and a housingfor containing the panel having a section provided with inturned flanges extending inwardly toward the panel and providing a space between the flange and panel and disposed adjacent to an opening through which the panel is accessible, of a perforate detachable cover fitting within the opening and provided with flanges closing the said space between the first said fianges and the panel, the perforations in the cover registering with the said fuse members whereby the fuse members are accessible through the said perforations.

3. The combination with a fuse-panel havmg a fuse member thereon and a housing for the panel having a removable portion pro vided with an opening through which the panel is accessible, and with inwardly. proj ecting flanges adjacent the opening, extending toward the panel and providing a space therebetween, of a removable cover for the panel fitting within the opening and provided with flanges closing the said space between the first said flanges and the panel, the said cover being provided with a perforation through which the fuse member is accessible,

4. The combination with a fuse-panel hav ing a fuse member thereon, and a housing for the panel having a removable portion provided with a flange extending toward the panel and providing a space between the flange and panel and dividing the housing into a fuse compartment and a wirin g gutter communicating through the space between the flange and the panel, of a cover for the panel fitting between the flanges and provided with a flange for substantially closing the said space, the said cover being provided with an opening through which the fuse member is accessible.

5. The combination with a fuse-panel having a fuse member thereon, and a housing for the panel having a portion provided with an opening through which the panel is accessible and with flanges adjacent the opening extending toward the panel and providing a space between the flange and panel and which divide the housing into a terminal compartment and separate wiring gutters that communicate with the terminal compartment through the space between the flanges and the panel, of a cover for the panel disposed between the flanges having flanges for closing the said space and provided with a perforation through which the fuse member is accessible.

6. The combination with a fuse-panel having a projecting fuse receptacle member, and a housing for the panel having a portion provided with an opening through whlch the panel is accessible and with flanges adjacent the opening extending toward the panel and providing a space between the flange and panel, of a cover for the panel fitting between the flanges and removable through the said opening and provided with a perforation, and means including flanges on. the cover and closing the said space for so supporting the said cover with relation to the panel that the outer extremity of the receptacle member projects through the perforation in. the cover.

7. The combination with a fuse-panel hav ing {projecting fuse receptacle member, and a housing for the panel having a portion provided with an opening through which the panel is accessible and with flanges adjacent to the opening and extending toward the panel and providing a space between the flange and panel, of a cover for the panel fitting between the flanges and provided with a perforation, and means including flanges on the cover and providing a space between the flange and panel for so supporting the said cover with relation to the anel that the outer extremity of the receptac e projects into the perforation in the cover.

8. The combination with a fuse panel having a fuse member thereon and terminals therefor, and a housing for the panel having a removable portion provided with a flange extending toward the panel and providing a space between the flange and panel and dividing the housing into a fuse compartment and a wiring gutter communicating through the said space, of a cover for the panel fitting between the flanges and provided with a flange for substantially closing the said space having notches in the edge thereof through OLIVER S. JENNINGS. 

